When Drinks Become Art
By Ambre Savagnac
Why are we so obsessed with making everyday life into something desirable and incredible? Why do we feel the need to romanticize everything? Whether conscious or not, a psychological approach to coping with monotony and a lack of control over personal and large-scale world events—turning the mundane into an intentional art form can transform an occasionally dull reality into a source of comfort and meaning.
Andriy Shurpin
It's worth remembering that the boom in cute pastel-colored drinks has been sweeping the globe for several years now: lilac purple ube, pistachio green matcha, light brown dirty chai… After initially seeking to add more sweetness to everyday life by consuming colors with soothing properties, color has given way to personal and ordinary combinations. Because everything is increasingly lifestyle-oriented, a sudden craving for a cocktail, a mocktail, or a caffeinated beverage, which, in addition to being incredibly delicious, becomes a special moment and an extraordinary experience. A triple satisfaction: an experience that is tasty, beautiful, and memorable. As a bonus, this new art of living highlights the talent of baristas and mixologists and promotes unusual places, where people no longer go solely for the location or the initial need for the product consumed.
It's become a virtuous circle: if good is beautiful, then beautiful is good. Today, beyond its marketing angle, the benefits of its ingredients, or even its place of origin, a beverage is becoming a true lifestyle product, no longer consumed solely for its thirst-quenching, flavorful, or mood-boosting qualities, but for the fleeting pleasure it offers oneself. Consuming an unusual product even has a guilt-reducing aspect, similar to the consumption of coffee and alcohol. Since the unusual rhymes with temporary, the occasional becomes desirable and more legitimate.
Whether it's our morning energy drink or our Thursday night cocktail, the beverage is getting a makeover where every detail seems carefully considered.
Bar Numéro
In Montreal, Canada, several establishments are joining this trend. Bar Numéro stands out for its unparalleled uniqueness, offering drinks (both classic and creative) with graphics unlike anything you'll see anywhere else. Each glass is a work of art in itself, with a distinct personality. Try the gradient “Peach & Oregano”: a subtle blend of Canadian whisky, white peach, oregano, chanterelle mushrooms, cream, and sculpted egg-white foam on top, presented like a trifle. Or the desirable “Matcha Biscuit”: tequila, matcha, white chocolate, and brown butter, a cocktail that rivals a Michelin-starred pastry.
This summer, the Foil Gallery café is offering a Japanese-inspired iced latte fusion: the “Rhubarb + Shiso”, a refreshing coffee made with fresh rhubarb, shiso, and oat milk. The blending of the two main pastel components makes this creation a delightful work of art. Also in Montreal, the design café Osmo x Marusan offers lattes in comforting hues, such as the “Sakura Latte” or a twist on the London Fog prepared with lavender.
In New York, the renowned Tin's, located in Manhattan, is a bar where an electric green iced drink catches the eye of every customer. The “Timmy's Brain Blaster” boasts both a stunning appearance and a complex blend of flavors: Midori and Curaçao give it its green hue, topped with a thick mascarpone foam.
With all these recent openings of new establishments and these increasingly attractive new drink releases, it's no surprise that the color of the year chosen by the American company Pantone for 2025 was 17-1230 Mocha Mousse. A brown color reminiscent of the warm and indulgent drink, a fitting tone in a world where everyday life increasingly rhymes with self-care, comfort, and a need for slowness and gentleness.
Cocktail Construction Chart (1974), US Department of Agriculture Forest Service (via National Archives)
If you invest in and surround yourself with cool things every day, you naturally tend to become cool yourself. It's a beneficial spiral that's very likely to be appealing.
Starting your day with an enviable drink that potentially boosts your confidence for the whole day, or finishing it with a drink that brings sparks to your eyes, is something that is almost non-negotiable today. It's even a perfectly reasonable and sustainable choice in itself for a healthy mind. Just a reminder to treat yourself to your dream concoction this week!
